Snail
The Snail is a major character' '''in ''Darkwood. '' It appears as a giant snail-like being. Parts of a human skull can be seen underneath its flesh, and a slack human jaw can be seen loosely hanging from its head. The snail comes across as confused and has difficulty talking properly. It can be found in the Cottage Near The Junkyard, in the Swamp, in Chapter 2. It resides within the roof of the central (and only) building in the area, within a shell. The player will need to use a weapon on the cracked underside of the shell in order to enter. Inside resides a giant snail (as per the name). It speaks in a plain language and can be extensively gossiped with. It will give the player a few quests, and will casually remark on how ugly the Protagonist is. Its stomach may also be interacted with by examination; in doing so the Protagonist will note that it's rather brittle, and can quite possibly be opened with force. Indeed, to enter the building the Snail sits on, the player has the choice of either: following the quest line of the Snail and in doing so, freeing it from captivity; or, the player can carve their way through the Snails stomach with a melee weapon. Afterward, they may enter the house. Quests Freedom: The Snail tasks the player with freeing him/her from their shell. After enjoying some time lying around, it finally wishes to leave and roam around. To do this, the Protagonist needs the Shed Key to unlock the door just outside, which must be open to go through the puzzle-like blockade by a Monoculus. In this side path a cocoon-like object can be found. When interacted with, the Protagonist notes that it's 'fragile.' It can be broken with a weapon, and doing so will free the Snail. As a consequence, the Snail will leave the cottage and travel to the Radio Tower in the next day, where it can be found dead, mangled and filled with Baby Banshees. Its corpse blocks the entrance. However, there is an alternative path near the blocked entrance that lets the player go around the Snail's corpse. Epilogue If the Snail is not freed or carved up by the Protagonist, then it will perish in the flames burning down the forest. :See Transcript Dialogue Greeting * First Encounter 'The snail's speech is extremely slow and slurry. He moves his jaw with great effort. It looks like it's about to fall off. His eyes sag from their sockets. They dangle from side to side, trying to keep me in their sight.' 'His right eye raises with great effort and wobbles.' 'The snail's jaw falls so low, it almost detaches itself from the rest of the body.' 'Suddenly, I feel a subtle shiver beneath my feet. The snail's body livens up.' 'The snail tucks his head inside his shell.' 'The snail falls silent for a longer moment. The inside of the shell is almost completely silent.' 'The snail's body suddenly leans forward. The wooden construction of the cottage creaks under his huge bulk. I barely keep my balance.' 'The snail falls silent. His enormous head slowly drops to the shell. Giant, gleaming drops of mucus appear on his slimy skin.' * Freedom Showing Items * Photo of a Road :* Shake head :* Nod * Rubber Boots 'Two teeth pop out of the snail's disfigured, open jaw and, together with a thick goo, flow down near my feet.''' Gossip * The amnesia * The ugly * The gumboots Speculation * It's likely that the Snail used to be human. Its desire for boots, and its discussion of what it thinks is human (which is brought up when it discusses how ugly the Protagonist is for a human), suggests that it has some concept of what its like to be one. This is likely, given the area around it is scattered with writhing and mutating figures attached to small snail shells. Also, the snail has a human skull in its head and a hand that is sticking out from its body, supporting the hypothesis. Category:Major characters